SOC 64 – The Process of Social Research
Jennifer R. Myhre, Ph.D.
Office: F21j | myhrejen@deanza.edu
408.864.8560
Office Hours: MTH 9:30-10:20a|TW 10:30-11:20a
In This Syllabus…
Student Learning
Outcomes – p2
Expectation
Agreement – p3
Assignments,
Projects & Exams
– p4
Resources – p5
Grades – p5
Plagiarism &
Cheating – p6
Calendar – p7
Textbook & Readings
There is one textbook for
the course and there will
be supplemental readings
that you will find online in
the Readings box on our
Catalyst class website. You
can purchase used and
new copies of the
textbook in the Campus
Bookstore and there are 2
copies on reserve at the
Library (currently located
in the Learning Center
West on the second floor).
The book is NOT optional;
you will need it to pass the
class. The required
textbook is:
Chambliss, Daniel F. and
Russell K. Schutt. 2013.
Making Sense of the
SocialWorld: Methods of
Investigation. 4th ed. Los
Angeles, CA: Sage.
A Dictionary is also
recommended.
Dear Students,
I am here to help you. If you have outside responsibilities or other potential
barriers to completing the work for this course, please come talk to me as soon
as possible. Don't wait until it's too late to get help.
If you have any disability, either temporary or permanent, which might affect
your ability to participate fully in the course, please let me know right away. We
can figure out what accommodations will be necessary to provide for
equitable participation.
Don't be a stranger! I would like to learn a little bit about all of you, including
your names, and it would help enormously if you would feel comfortable
enough to come up and introduce yourself to me before or after class,
remember to state your name when you participate in class, and visit me
during my office hours. Getting to know you is the best part of my job.
I believe that every single one of you can do well in this class. In fact, I expect
you to come with your game face on, to try your best, to put as much in to this
class as you can and get as much out of this class as you can, to ask me for
help when you need it, to ask for and offer help to your classmates, and to work
with me to ensure your success.
Finally, I want to stress that ALL students are welcome in my class, regardless of
national origin, religious affiliation, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age,
physical challenge, socioeconomic status, or cultural background. Let us work
to make our classroom an environment marked by kindness and mutual respect
for one another. It is our differences, even more than our similarities that offer
the richest opportunities for learning.
-
Jen Myhre
1
Student Learning Outcomes
The Sociology Department has two official learning
outcomes for SOC64(SOC14):

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The student will distinguish the sociological perspective
from other sciences, including its methods, theories and
empathetic standpoint.
GUIDING QUESTIONS OF THE COURSE:
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The students will responsibly and ethically apply the
scientific method to the study of social life.
I have broken these broad outcomes into a series of more
specific goals for your learning. My goals for this course are
to help you:
1. Learn the systematic steps of conducting social
research from beginning to end.
2. Understand the advantages and limitations of
different strategies of social research and the kinds of
questions they answer most effectively.
3. Learn to speak the “language” of social research--to
understand and apply such terms as design,
conceptualization, measurement, operationalization,
reliability, validity, sampling, analysis, quantitative and
qualitative approaches, etc.
4. Digest and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of
actual examples of social research.
5. Learn real and important information about the social
world that can be used to improve lives.
6. Learn how to convey effectively the results of your
investigations to wider audiences.
7. Bring the sensibility of a social researcher to your
everyday lives.
8. Become familiar with a body of knowledge in
sociology that will prepare you for transfer or for
additional coursework in sociology.
9. Learn how to build convincing arguments using
concepts and evidence.
10. Practice taking-the-role-of-the-other, or putting
yourselves in other’s shoes.
How do social scientists study the social
world?
How do the kinds of questions we ask
about the social world shape the kinds
of research strategies we use to answer
those questions?
What considerations do we need to
make in the research process in order to
increase our confidence that the
answers we find capture something true
about social reality?
MAJOR ASSUMPTIONS OF THE
COURSE:

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As human beings, we engage in
research--asking questions and pursuing
strategies to answer those questions—
every day.
If we are thoughtful and careful, we can
use the tools of social research to learn
real things about the social worlds in
which we participate.
The social sciences are an integral part
of the kind of general education that
makes us thoughtful and effective
human beings. The kind of analysis of
the world that sociology provides is
useful, valid and worth developing.
We are not simply individuals with
complete autonomy and selfdetermination, but rather social beings
who both shape and are shaped by the
social world in which we live.
Education doesn't have to be painful in
order for us to learn. Learning can be
fun; in fact, we probably learn best
when our minds and bodies are actively
engaged in the learning process.
By the end of the term, you will be researchers. You will have engaged in the kinds of day-to-day activities
that social researchers do, such as research, thinking, talking with your colleagues about sociology,
reading, teaching, presenting, and writing. Most importantly, I hope that by the end of the term, you will
have learned to ask questions about the social world. It is the asking of questions, rather than the finding of
answers, that is the most joyous part of the sociologist's job.
Also, I invite you to approach this class with the goal of taking-the-role-of-the-other, an idea developed by
an early sociologist named George Herbert Mead. This means trying to put yourself in someone else’s
shoes to get a sense of how s/he might view or experience social life and using that view to reflect on your
own life. When you sit down to do a reading in this class or watch a film or converse with a classmate, I
would like you to try to put yourself in the other’s shoes. This means developing your empathy muscles.
Empathy means to feel or suffer with someone. It is not the same as pity. In part, it involves imagining how
you would feel if you were in a similar situation. It involves putting aside our feelings of defensiveness,
judgment, or rejection of the other, so that we can learn about another’s experience. As sociologists, we
are endlessly curious about how life is for others. Role-taking helps us learn.
2
JEN’S FAVORITE FREE
PODCASTS, WITH
SOCIOLOGICAL
RELEVANCE:
Office Hours
Radio Lab
To the Best of Our
Knowledge
Planet Money
This American Life
The Moth
Latino USA
99% Invisible
These podcasts make
great listening and often
cover topics relevant to
sociology. It would be a
great habit to listen to at
least one of them during
our quarter together, as
well as read a
newspaper or
newsmagazine.
Please Be Open To Participating Fully In Class!
I believe that students learn best when presented with a variety of
teaching strategies.
Not everyone will like every strategy; to paraphrase
Lincoln, you can't make everybody happy all of the time. However, given
the absolute strangle-hold the lecture format has on college classes, I still
think it is valuable to try out a variety of activities in the classroom.
As much as is possible given the constraints of time and room setup,
classroom activities will be organized with a hands-on approach, asking
students to engage in some of the day -to-day activities of sociologists
(including reading, writing, discussion, analysis, and empirical research).
Research shows that people learn better when they are actively involved
in the learning process. In order to facilitate this, you will also be asked to
participate in various in- and out-of-class activities and discussion. If you
are usually a talker, then your challenge will be to listen more and talk less.
If you are usually quiet or an observer, your challenge will be to take risks
and speak up from time to time.
Expectation Agreement
As a student in SOC 64, you are expected to…

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


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
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Read and/or re-read the assignments before coming to class. Your success in this class is dependent
on reading and digesting the assignment.
Print out copies of reading material before coming to class.
Arrive to class on time and prepared with books, paper, writing implements, and preferably a
dictionary. Your supplies should be on your desk BEFORE class begins.
Check your email daily.
Stay focused and ready to participate in class.
Participate in civil & respectful class discussions.
Turn in projects on time.
Turn cell phones off and put them away before class begins.
As your instructor, I will…





Be available for my office hours and by appointment
Keep our class Catalyst page engaging and up-to-date.
Assist you with finding additional support should you need it.
Respond to emails.
Come to class prepared with activities and lecture materials.
3
Assignments, Projects & Exams
Course requirements for your grade will consist of reading journals, participation, course projects, a final
reflection, and exams.
REQUIREMENT
DUE DATE
% OF TOTAL GRADE
January 20
February 9
15%
15%
March 16
20%
10%
10%
Reading Quizzes and Terminology Log
March 18
In-class activities
On-line activities on Catalyst
Throughout the quarter
Final exam
March 25 (Wednesday), 7:00am-9:00
10%
Projects:
Content Analysis of Faculty Doors
Interview Project, Part 1: Interview and
Transcription
Interview Project, Part 2: Analysis of
Interviews
Journal Article Analysis
Participation
20%
COURSE PROJECTS. One project will involve collecting data on what full-time faculty members here at De Anza
put on their doors and analyzing this data both quantitatively and qualitatively. You will also have a big
quarter long project involving in-depth interviews in which you will conduct and transcribe an interview and
then also analyze the pool of data that the class as a whole collects from our interviews. One other project will
involve comparing the strengths and weaknesses of surveys, interviews and field work by examining three
examples of published research.
PARTICIPATION. Research shows that people learn better when they are actively involved in the learning
process. In order to provide extra encouragement for your active involvement in the course, participation will
count for 10% of your final grade. You will be asked to turn in participate in in-class activities during most weeks
of the quarter and you will also be asked to participate in on-line discussions, activities and quizzes throughout
the quarter. The total of all of these activities will account for your participation grade.
READING QUIZZES AND TERMINOLOGY LOGS. For every reading assignment, you will be asked to list and define each
of the key terms from the chapters from Making Sense of the Social World in your own handwriting. The
terminology log will be graded on a pass/fail basis. The number of these logs you turn in will be totaled for the
quarter, with one free miss. They are due at the start of class on the day the reading is scheduled for; after that,
they will be counted as late and can be turned in for half-credit. You may use your terminology logs on the
final exam. In addition, I may also give in-class or on-line quizzes on the readings. Together, the logs and
quizzes are worth 20% of your total grade.
EXAM. There will be one comprehensive final exam on March 25 (Wednesday) from 7:00am-9:00. There are no
make-up exams. You need to meet with me if you have a documented physical or family emergency that
causes you to miss an exam and I will review your case and we’ll figure out how to address it.
A Note About Attendance…
I do not count attendance as a separate part of your grade. You have chosen to participate in this class. I want you to
come to class because you WANT to come to class. In fact, I want you to make a conscious decision about whether to
come to class. I want you to be clear on why you are here and what you hope to get out of class. However, you should
also be mindful that when you miss class, you begin to sabotage your own learning. You also deprive your classmates
and me of your thoughts and contributions. And I worry about you when you don’t show up to class. Part of being in
community means showing up for each other and paying attention to who’s making it, who needs help, and who’s
struggling. I will be looking out for you and I’d like you to be watching out for each other. Because it gets harder and
harder to catch up when you miss class, students who have missed 8 class sessions may be dropped from the class.
Late arrivals are disruptive to the class and to your learning. Please plan to arrive at class on time.
4
Resources
Writing and Reading and Tutorial Skills Center, ATC 309, 864-5840
Math/Science Tutorial Center, S43, 864-8683
Counseling Center, 2nd floor Student & Community Services Bldg., 864-5400
Transfer Center, 2nd floor Student & Community Services Bldg., 864-8841
Career Center, 2nd floor Student & Community Services Bldg., 864-5711
Disability Support Services, 1st floor Student & Community Services Bldg., 8648753
Financial Aid, Baldwin Winery Building, 864-8718
Health Services, Lower level Campus Center, 864-8732
Child Development Center, 864-8822
Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, Lower level Campus Center,
864-8950
Meet with tutors and
attend workshops in
the Student Success
Center:
www.deanza.edu/student
success. Can't make it to
campus? Use the free
online tutoring available to
all De Anza students. Just
login to MyPortal, go to the
Students tab, and find the
Smarthinking link. For more
information, go to
deanza.edu/studentsucce
ss/onlinetutoring/
Grades
Grades aren’t the only reason to study and work hard in a class—curiosity and the desire to learn are damn
good reasons. The fact that no one can take our education away from us is another good reason. However, if
grades are one of the things that help motivate you, then here are some things I have learned from watching
students about how to sabotage yourself, on the one hand, and how to get high grades, on the other.
To reach your goal of an “A” in the course, if grades are important to you:
 Check your e-mail and Catalyst regularly
 Read the assigned reading each time it is assigned
 Turn in your reading terminology logs on time
 Come to class on time and every day
 Do the on-line activities on time
 Take good notes on your readings and on class lectures and activities
 Build a study group to discuss the readings, work on assignments and prepare for the exam
 Meet with Jen regarding each project BEFORE the project is due
 Meet with Jen with a draft of each project BEFORE it is due
 Meet with Jen before the final to check your understanding
Practices that will make it difficult for you to pass the class, if that is your goal:
 Not doing the reading
 Not turning in your reading terminology logs
 Turning in your reading terminology logs
 Coming to class late
 Not coming to class
 Not checking e-mail or Catalyst
 Not turning in any parts or all of any of the projects
 Coming to class everyday but not doing the assigned work or not turning work in
 Only showing up for the exam thinking that will be enough to pass
 Not showing up for the final
The Sociology Department has agreed on our approach to giving feedback on student writing and
assignments. We understand that students can interpret the feedback they get from teachers in a lot of
different ways and that sometimes it can be difficult to receive critical feedback. We have high expectations
for the quality of your work in our classes. We want you to know that when we give feedback, it is because we
believe in your ability to reach those expectations. We believe in your intellectual abilities and in your desire to
grow as a student. The goal of our feedback is to help you develop your skills.
5
Keeping Track of Your Grades
All assignments will be given point scores or letter grades. These scores or grades will be turned into
percentages and weighted according to the table above to average your final grades. The final percentage
will be assigned a letter grade as follows: 90% or above=A, 87-89%=B plus, 80-86%=B, 77-79%=C plus, 70-76%=C,
67-69%=D plus, 60-66%=D, and below 59%=F. Standard mathematical rounding rules will apply.
ASSIGNMENT
Reading quizzes and
terminology logs
Content Analysis
Interview Project, Pt 1
Interview Project, Pt 2
Journal Article Analysis
Participation
Exam
TOTAL GRADE
Letter Grade
% (out of 100)
Weight
.20
Multiply % by Weight
.15
.15
.20
.10
.10
.10
SUM=
%
Note: You will have 13 chapters on which to complete terminology logs, so you can keep track of your score
for the logs by totaling the number of points and dividing by 13. Your reading quizzes should be averaged.
Similarly, you can keep track of your participation grade by totaling your points on in-class and online activities
and dividing by the total number of possible points.
Plagiarism & Cheating
Frequently asked questions is a great addition to your syllabus. Consider the repetitive questions you hear each
quarter…can you answer them here?
Don’t cheat. It is unethical and, frankly, sad. Don’t copy off of the tests of those around you. How do you know
they’ll do any better than you? If they do score higher than you, why should you get to benefit without effort
from their studying? Don’t copy from the assignments of others or get others to do your work. Don’t give work
to others for them to copy. You give up your integrity when you do these things. When you cheat, you
cheapen what we are doing here in class, you deprive yourself of learning and growth, you sell yourself short,
and you betray the time and effort I devote to teaching the class. It can also have long term consequences,
as you will see below.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. I understand that many of you do not fully understand what plagiarism is or how to
cite reference materials properly. I am happy to go over this with you. In short, if you use someone else’s ideas
without giving them credit, if you use someone else’s words without putting quotation marks around them and
giving them credit, or if you introduce information you learned from a specific source without giving it credit,
that is plagiarism. If you didn’t make it up from your own mind, you need to provide an in-text citation.
I will offer a half journal of extra credit if you take the tutorial on plagiarism at the following website and bring
me the certificate that says you can recognize plagiarism: https://www.indiana.edu/~istd/
Taking text or information or ideas from the internet, or from other sources, without giving credit to the person or
persons who came up with those ideas and those words is STEALING. IF I CATCH YOU PASSING OFF THE WORK
AND IDEAS OF OTHERS AS YOUR OWN, YOU WILL RECEIVE ZERO CREDIT FOR THAT ASSIGNMENT, WITH NO
OPPORTUNITY TO RE-DO IT. In addition, the De Anza Student Handbook specifies that students can be subject
to College discipline (including suspension and expulsion) for plagiarism and cheating.
6
Course Calendar
SCHEDULE OF READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS (due BEFORE you walk in on the date listed)
Week 1
What are we
doing here?
What is social
research?
January 5 – Welcome to Class
Review Syllabus
January 6 – Overview of Course
Approach and Requirements
Read syllabus carefully and
deeply; come with your questions
for me about it.
January 7 – The origins of social
sciences
Read Harriet Martineau excerpt
from How to Observe Morals and
Manners, available on Catalyst.
January 8 – The origins of social
sciences (cont.)
Read Chapter 1, pp. 1-14,
“Science, Society and Social
Research,” in MSSW TERMINOLOGY LOG DUE
Week 2
How do we get
started?
January 12 – Overview of the
research this class will undertake
Read Chapter 2, pp. 17-38, “The
Process and Problems of Social
Research,” in MSSW TERMINOLOGY LOG DUE
January 13 – The Research Wheel
Read pp. 60-63 of “U.S. Males and
Pornography” on Catalyst, up to
the Methods section
January 14—Research Designs
Read p. 63 of “U.S. Males and
Pornography,” the Methods
section (on Catalyst)
January 15—Ethical
Considerations
Read Chapter 3, pp. 39-58, “Ethics
in Research” in MSSWTERMINOLOGY LOG DUE
Week 3
What are
concepts? How
do we relate to
concepts?
January 19—DE ANZA CLOSED IN
HONOR OF HOLIDAY FOR DR.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
January 20—Activity on
Conceptualization and
Operationalization
CONTENT ANALYSIS OF FACULTY
DOORS DUE
January 21--Conceptualization
Read first half of Chapter 4, pp. 5975, “Conceptualization and
Measurement” in MSSW
TERMINOLOGY LOG DUE
January 22--Operationalization
Read pp. 63-64 in “U.S. Males and
Pornography,” the Measures
section (on Catalyst)
Week 4
How do we
assess the
accuracy of
our
measurements?
Week 5
How do we
choose the
units to include
in our
research?
January 26—Activity on reliability
and validity
No new reading
January 27—Measurement validity
Read second half of Chapter 4,
pp. 75-84, “Conceptualization and
Measurement” in MSSW
TERMINOLOGY LOG DUE
January 28 – Reliability
No new reading.
January 29—Generalizability
No new reading
February 2—Activity on probability
sampling
No new reading
February 3—Probability sampling
Read Chapter 5, pp. 85-102,
“Sampling” in MSSW
TERMINOLOGY LOG DUE
February 4—Probability sampling
(cont.)
No new reading
February 5—Nonprobability
sampling
Read pp. 216-224 of “Maintaining
Racial Boundaries,” the Intro/Lit
review/Methods and Field Site
sections (on Catalyst)
Week 6
What criteria
do we use to
determine
causation?
February 9—Activity on causality
PART 1 OF INTERVIEW PROJECT
DUE
February 10—Criteria to establish
causation
Read Chapter 6, pp. 103-127,
“Causation and Experimental
Design” in MSSW
TERMINOLOGY LOG DUE
February 11—Criteria to establish
causation (cont.)
Read pp. 64-70 of “U.S. Males and
Pornography” on Catalyst,
Results/Discussion/Limitations
February 12--Experiments
No new reading
7
Week 7
How do you
design and
implement
social surveys?
February 16—DE ANZA CLOSED IN
HONOR OF PRESIDENTS’ DAY
HOLIDAYS
February 17—Activity on survey
research
No new reading
February 18—Strengths and
weaknesses of surveys as a
research tool
Read Chapter 7, pp. 128-153,
“Survey Research” in MSSW
TERMINOLOGY LOG DUE
February 19—Strategies for
constructing and administering
surveys
No new reading
Week 8
What kinds of
things can you
find out by
observing
people?
February 23—Activity on taking
field notes
Read sample field notes (posted
on Catalyst)
February 24—Strengths and
weaknesses of ethnography/field
work as a research tool
Read first half of Chapter 9, pp.
178-195, “Qualitative Methods” in
MSSW
TERMINOLOGY LOG DUE
February 25—The
observation/participation
continuum
Read “Research through Imperial
Eyes” (posted on Catalyst)
February 26—Strategies for
conducting field work
Read pp. 224-233 of “Maintaining
Racial Boundaries” (posted on
Catalyst)
Week 9
How do you go
about doing
qualitative
methods/
interviews?
March 2—Activity on interviewing
Read interview samples (posted
on Catalyst)
March 3—Strengths and
weaknesses of in-depth
interviewing as a research tool
Read second half of Chapter 9,
pp. 195-204, “Qualitative
Methods” in MSSW
TERMINOLOGY LOG DUE
March 4—Strategies for in-depth
interviewing
Read pp. 466-471 of “Reproducing
Stories” (posted on Catalyst)
March 5—Activity on interviewing
Read pp. 471-479 of “Reproducing
Stories” (posted on Catalyst)
Week 10
What are
different
strategies for
analyzing
data?
March 9—Activity on descriptive
statistics
Read Chapter 8, pp. 154-177,
“Elementary Quantitative Data
Analysis” in MSSW
TERMINOLOGY LOG DUE
March 10—Activity on examining
the relationship between two
variables
No new reading
March 11—Activity on coding
Read Chapter 10, pp. 205-233,
“Qualitative Data Analysis” in
MSSW
TERMINOLOGY LOG DUE
March 12—Different approaches
to qualitative analysis
No new reading
Week 11
How do we
present our
research
findings?
March 16—The scientific report
Read last section of Chapter 12,
pp. 272-277, on Reporting
Research in MSSW
TERMINOLOGY LOG DUE
March 17—The infographic
Read handout on infographics
(posted on Catalyst)
March 18—The journal article
Review the 3 journal articles we
read this quarter: “U.S. Males and
Pornography,” “Maintaining Racial
Boundaries,” and “Reproducing
Stories”
JOURNAL ARTICLE ANALYSIS DUE
March 19—Communicating
science to wider publics
Read samples of social science in
the media (posted on Catalyst)
PART 2 OF INTERVIEW PROJECT
DUE
Week 12
March 23—Wrap up, review and
preparation for the final exam
No new reading
March 25 (Wednesday),
7:00am-9:00
FINAL EXAM
8